tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post5399719391285068310..comments2020-06-04T16:24:35.433+01:00Comments on THE NATURAL HAVEN: An Open Letter to Essence: The natural hair band wagon does not need a championJchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-77813667283269417722011-01-22T23:06:32.825+00:002011-01-22T23:06:32.825+00:00Thanks Angelina, I appreciate the compliments. I h...Thanks Angelina, I appreciate the compliments. I have thought and received a couple of publishing offers. I have not received the right one yet though. I do appreciate you spreading the word too!Jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-78397631027579571222011-01-22T04:59:02.864+00:002011-01-22T04:59:02.864+00:00JC, You need to write a book!!!! Have you thought...JC, You need to write a book!!!! Have you thought about self publishing and having your book on Amazon or doing the natural hair lecture curcit. I would be one of the first to purchase one, honestly you have a wealth of info that we can use in the natural hair community. Finally,I have been mentioning The Natural Haven on countless blogs because I think you are one intelligent sista.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13967238511183377423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-6623839808244754092010-07-06T00:01:38.260+01:002010-07-06T00:01:38.260+01:00Great letter! I joined the chat and found it usele...Great letter! I joined the chat and found it useless. The &quot;experts&quot; were too busy catching up with one another on non-hair related topics and were not giving advice or answering questions. None of my 3 questions were posted. <br /><br />Also, I agree with Moni 100%. I am an Essence subsciber and sometimes I question the mixed messages they send. One page it&#39;s save, invest, build wealth and the next it says blow a paycheck on luxury items (see July issu). <br /><br />Lastly, I disagree with you about naturally curly. Someone from there referred me to your site. I like the diversity on the site and feel that us curlies whether 3a/b/c or 4a/b, we learn from one another. We really need to stop putting SO much focus on hair types. There are other important factors such as hair texture, porosity, etc. that play a role. Also, curly nikki does not lean more toward type 3 hair. Not sure why/where you got that from or how often you visit the site. There are mixes of everyone there. <br /><br />Overall I feel Essence should be doing much better as a magazine geared toward Black women. They should be able to offer something for everyone, natural hair, relaxed hair, weaves, etc. Black hair care tips that are beneficial. They have a lot to learn. Hopefully they&#39;ll apprecite your letter and really try to do better. Great site by the way.DvaAuNaturelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-39448518406265931062010-06-29T14:07:21.227+01:002010-06-29T14:07:21.227+01:00I did not bother to catch the chat, because I figu...I did not bother to catch the chat, because I figured it would be on the lines of their &quot;natural hair articles&quot; (for example, people with curly weaves pictured as naturals). However, I have experienced the same frustrations you have with essence over the years and I agree 100% with what you and the other peoople commenting have pointed out. We don&#39;t need to be misinformed, and its escpecially hurtful when we are misinformed by our own &quot;black magazines&quot;. Do better essence. I no longer read the magazine. Not only are they behind on hair care, but they also have silly articles now like &quot;what he really wants in bed but will never tell you&quot; and advertisements for images that are not practical to obtain. They are the &quot;Black Cosmo&quot; now, and that is not a compliment. They no longer have quality information.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-87670266043857629052010-06-27T04:53:39.908+01:002010-06-27T04:53:39.908+01:00THANK YOU JC. I STAND AND APPLAUD YOU for your le...THANK YOU JC. I STAND AND APPLAUD YOU for your letter. It was necessary!!! Now I wonder if you will get a response.............lol!!!intelligentbeautyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10092163919465498314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-729555767745476682010-06-26T11:43:47.697+01:002010-06-26T11:43:47.697+01:00Thanks Sweet Bonita
Kcurly- You have articulated ...Thanks Sweet Bonita<br /><br />Kcurly- You have articulated my concern really well. If a new natural read the chat and thought those were &#39;leading tips&#39; they would seriously not be able to survive. With the exception of Chrisette, there was no good advice for naturals.<br /><br />I have tweeted the article to essenceonline. I looked for an email address for the editors and could not find one. I am going to look for the print edition and see if there is one in there. I have found a postal address so I will print out the letter and comments and send them by snail mail!Jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-47389078336053849842010-06-26T02:55:58.734+01:002010-06-26T02:55:58.734+01:00Wow JC....I did not have a chance to view the chat...Wow JC....I did not have a chance to view the chat...it sounds...interesting. I&#39;ve kind of been a little skeptical because all of their natural hair articles in Essence have included pictures of hair that are obviously a curly weave or wig. <br /><br />It&#39;s wonderful that natural hair is becoming more mainstream, but the type of information you pointed out is not at all helpful to the newly natural person. I think the last thing someone needs to worry about is frizz when you just BC&#39;d. I just worry so much that people are going to read some of these &quot;tips&quot;, follow them, and then cry in despair because they are still fighting their hair. <br /><br />I sincerely hope that you sent them this email.Kcurlyhttp://www.newlynatural.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-14783099431983821142010-06-25T20:48:02.096+01:002010-06-25T20:48:02.096+01:00PREACH!
there isn&#39;t much more to say. you sai...PREACH!<br />there isn&#39;t much more to say. you said it all!SweetBonitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05078698033199727108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-33136588151011718802010-06-25T16:17:20.949+01:002010-06-25T16:17:20.949+01:00Thanks for the new comments
Shellye- I think fash...Thanks for the new comments<br /><br />Shellye- I think fashion and beauty blogs like bglh would get quite stale without daily updates. However speaking product wise, daily updates are not necessary but regular updates are- Products change formula, people discover new things and new naturals begin their journeys. Between blogs, forums and youtube there is a wealth of information but I would not say that everything to discuss has been discussed. I discover new things on almost a daily basis through readers questions and comments and my whizzing through blogs. I have been natural for nearly 10 years and still discovering!Jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-8642179733453053272010-06-25T11:43:53.866+01:002010-06-25T11:43:53.866+01:00I like the letter. I think Essence is out of touch...I like the letter. I think Essence is out of touch when it comes to taking care of natural hair and on many other issues as well. I used to be a subscriber to it and also to O magazine. Like someone else said, most of the products they promote are expensive and even though O does the same, they also pick some affordable products.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-65167278487471826292010-06-25T11:21:38.956+01:002010-06-25T11:21:38.956+01:00I do enjoy reading your blog, but I have to pipe u...I do enjoy reading your blog, but I have to pipe up and say, as a 4b, I do enjoy Naturally Curly as a source of information for natural hair. Although the 4b section is a ghost town at times, the 4a section always has new comments and suggestions. I think that genuinely good haircare advice doesn&#39;t revolve around products and shouldn&#39;t change daily, so most of the helpful information about haircare has already been discussed on the site and is easily accessible with a search. And the site is free - you can&#39;t beat free.Shellyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10541554192046836866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-71868322122605224072010-06-25T09:07:53.314+01:002010-06-25T09:07:53.314+01:00Thanks for the comments ladies - can I just agree ...Thanks for the comments ladies - can I just agree with you Moni - Chrisette Michele was real! She gave real advice on products including honey and olive oil. It sounded to me like she was the only one on the panel who had natural hair. Congratulations to her!Jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-31613331990852624312010-06-25T03:30:26.916+01:002010-06-25T03:30:26.916+01:001) yay or the new layout!
2) i&#39;m so behind in ...1) yay or the new layout!<br />2) i&#39;m so behind in my blog reading - but i&#39;m glad i read this. essence &amp; i have a love hate relationship because they produce contradictory messages.<br />this was great to read. there are so many resources out there reinvigorating my faith in black media.. but essence just doesn&#39;t cut it for me sometimes. with all of the resources available online and even in print, you&#39;re right - we don&#39;t need another misinforming source.<br /><br />thanks for all you do!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-55295204504527812842010-06-25T03:23:24.149+01:002010-06-25T03:23:24.149+01:00*hand clap* *hand clap* I was not able to make it ...*hand clap* *hand clap* I was not able to make it to the chat but it seems that I did not miss a thing. Thank you for being the VOICE! It is truly appreciated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-78539859243942238832010-06-24T23:26:36.088+01:002010-06-24T23:26:36.088+01:00If Essence was all for natural hair, they would st...If Essence was all for natural hair, they would start hair experiments like so many youtubers and scientists already have instead of feeding us age old crap....BBNHhttp://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Big-Black-Natural-Hair/208243575162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-90651858890015165372010-06-24T22:54:11.936+01:002010-06-24T22:54:11.936+01:00I asked three times question pertaining to 4c hair...I asked three times question pertaining to 4c hair and I was on from the moment they came on...NEVER ANSWERED THE QUESTION!<br /><br />Chrisette Michele was the ONLY one who gave great advice on conditioning treatments.<br /><br />The rest of the chat was reading the rest of the participants fawning over each others hair and whatnot. I was COMPLETELY disappointed!Moni @ CL Journalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09897657277059985205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-73136379177026181822010-06-24T20:31:55.786+01:002010-06-24T20:31:55.786+01:00One of my comments actually made it in the chat ro...One of my comments actually made it in the chat room. It was about the moroccan oil they were trying to promote. When I went to the website and saw the pricing, plus the exclusive appointments, I said to myself I can go to the vitamin shoppe and get these same oils for way cheaper. Then Keith said some smart a** comment like only buy the oil because its for hydration (paraphrasing). I&#39;m glad I know how to take care of my hair because if I didn&#39;t I&#39;d probably would have followed his advice. And to think some people actually did. HAM!Casaraehttp://casaraelgibson.squarespace.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-75388435650192515982010-06-24T20:31:55.787+01:002010-06-24T20:31:55.787+01:00Preeeeeeeeach! Wow, JC I&#39;m so glad you address...Preeeeeeeeach! Wow, JC I&#39;m so glad you addressed this issue.<br />It&#39;s not just Essence though.<br />This morning, I was looking through a copy of Black Hair and Beauty that I bought this time last year - and seriously. It just pimped out products and people and other things necessary to live a certain lifestyle left right and center.<br />I think the main problem stems from the fact that because of the lack of knowledge about natural hair, it remains a niche market and therefore it&#39;s difficult to gain funding. No funding means it&#39;s hard to get the word out unless you&#39;re actively looking or know where to go...therefore, nobody knows about it!<br />It&#39;s a vicious cycle =/A Simple Thinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12088166547504521544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-14197348701807390872010-06-24T20:24:49.482+01:002010-06-24T20:24:49.482+01:00well said, jc. i am also a chemist (the curly che...well said, jc. i am also a chemist (the curly chemist on www.curlynikki.com) that consults others on hair care. i can say that i saw the chat and answered questions, and i noticed that i was blocked from answering questions.dajewel1982https://www.blogger.com/profile/17145046904112942286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-50423520636898077172010-06-24T18:40:33.347+01:002010-06-24T18:40:33.347+01:00Cardenie- The really sad fact is that I&#39;ve see...Cardenie- The really sad fact is that I&#39;ve seen better nappy hair advice in Glamour than in Essence! :/Monihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00875579073898963226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-74512191627480538192010-06-24T18:16:42.831+01:002010-06-24T18:16:42.831+01:00Excellent, excellent post! On Target definitely. I...Excellent, excellent post! On Target definitely. I think we all need to the face the sad fact that Essence is no different than Vogue, Marie Claire, Redbook and the host of other magazines that cater to their mainstream demographic. They don&#39;t want to tell black folks how to take care of their nappy hair.Cardeniehttp://www.blog.carisabrewster.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-63167071012991870212010-06-24T16:51:40.361+01:002010-06-24T16:51:40.361+01:00Alice - a lot of comments were not aired. I know c...Alice - a lot of comments were not aired. I know cause I typed a few that never made it.<br /><br />LittleOne-this is really true - their ideas do sound like they come from a generation where natural means tumbling curls. Natural is so much more and in some cases not even close to tumbling curls. <br /><br />BBB- Definitely would like to see real naturals perhaps even little A featured, bring on the new generation!Jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983132094574128087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-5631756639543272772010-06-24T16:47:53.321+01:002010-06-24T16:47:53.321+01:00I caught the end of the chat, but I really didn&#3...I caught the end of the chat, but I really didn&#39;t think they were going to say anything I didn&#39;t already know from my own research and from blog, forums and youtube. Yes you should not skip on Youtube! You may be the only blog based mostly on hair science but Kimmaytube youtube gives great information about the pH of products, just like you. She has grown long natural hair after learning about the science of hair and products. Check her out!!<br />But great post, I totally agree.Novemberlady13https://www.blogger.com/profile/14796300540486968115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-51026633020579471542010-06-24T16:36:40.551+01:002010-06-24T16:36:40.551+01:00I scheduled them to remind me 3 hours before the c...I scheduled them to remind me 3 hours before the chat started then totally forgot. I guess I didn&#39;t miss much. Great post though, I hope they read it. I would LOVE to see interviews with naturals in their magazine!Beads, Braids &amp; Beyondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16792905761007587351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356365023823603303.post-49445684675397400362010-06-24T15:47:27.459+01:002010-06-24T15:47:27.459+01:00Jc, I agree whole heartedly with your letter and e...Jc, I agree whole heartedly with your letter and everyone&#39;s comments. I&#39;ve received Essence for the past 6 months because free magazine subscriptions were the only way I could redeem some old frequent flyer miles.<br />I would never pay for this magazine! I wish I felt differently, but every time a new issue comes I&#39;m shaking my head at what they choose to print. I won&#39;t start my rant about the articles, let&#39;s stick to hair. The images and ideas for natural hair are so &quot;old school&quot;...they come from a generation that still has no idea about the versatility of our hair.<br /><br />I will say that I have seen a few decent tips on their website (look up: &quot;Grow Baby Grow&quot;) and either the May or June issue had a sprinkling of good info discussing relaxed, natural, and transitioning hair.<br /><br />None of that info was new to me, thanks to this site and the others you&#39;ve mentioned in your letter. But, I&#39;m sure some women may have found it helpful.<br /><br />Over the past 6 months, I have seen their coverage improve. The January issue had a big section on beauty secrets for the New Year. They featured make up tips, work out tips, hair tips, etc. But, the hair &quot;beauty secrets&quot; were all about weaves! Literally, all about weaves. Now, it&#39;s June and they tried to do a Natural Hair Chat. It looks like they are trying to improve what they are doing, but they are doing it too slowly, too timidly, and without doing their homework on what&#39;s already out there.<br /><br />Thanks for sending the letter Jc! Hopefully, they will listen!LittleOnenoreply@blogger.com